Fresh Blog Posts

Tonight I decided to get some cinematic diversity by checking out the show “IN THE MIDDLE OF A MOVIE” playing at the Los Angeles Film Forum. It was VERY interesting. The filmmaker/artist Tellervo Kalleinen has spent time traveling the world placing ads that read: “Plan a film scene in your home and give a Finnish woman a role in it”. She went to each home she was invited to and acted the scenes that the people concocted. The scenes are brief and diverse and say a great deal about the writers and the countries she was filming them in.

Every year Last Remaining Seats features a silent movie night and this year it was SON OF THE SHEIK (1926) starring Rudolph Valentino. I LOVE Last Remaining Seats and look forward to it each year. Even though I’ve seen many of the movies they show, I relish the opportunity to sit in those glorious movie palaces in downtown Los Angeles that are seldom open. SON OF THE SHEIK played at the Orpheum Theatre downtown. The theatre was packed and the audience seemed very enthusiastic. They had tango dancers, Mora’s Modern Rhythmists, the Hollywood Hornet dancers and best of all Richard Halpern singing “Hollywood Rose” which was lovely! It was such a great evening!

It is hard to believe that James Dean made such a tremendous impact with only 3 films! Dying young seems to have been the ultimate career move. He never aged or got heavy or made bad movies. He didn’t wind up on 3rd rate sitcoms or as the center block on Hollywood Squares. Then again I always wonder what else he could have given us?!$#) I’m sure he had MANY more great films and great performances left in him. He could have and should have done so much more! Had he lived, he would be the same age that Clint Eastwood is right now. Hard to imagine. While I’d seen James Dean films before, I had never seen them on the big screen, so I had to take advantage of the opportunity.